Economy
Sportsbooks Fined By Ohio Commission
The online gambling industry in the United States continues to grow as new states adopt the legislation required to license and regulate operators. It was Ohio’s turn to do so on the 1st of January by signing House Bill 29 into law and allowing online bookmakers to apply for a license issued by the state’s Casino Control Commission.
Shortly after putting the framework in place, Ohio issued 23 type A licenses that allow operators to offer online sports betting services via mobile apps and websites. However, shortly after going live, three bookies breached the gambling advertising rules and received fines for their actions.
What Led to the Fines Handed by Ohio’s Regulator?
Upon receiving their type A license, all operators agreed to follow strict rules regarding sports betting advertising. The regulations do not allow any use of “risk-free” or “free” bets and need to have a clear message in order to prevent problem gambling
However, in the rush of launching their websites, at least three bookmakers active in Ohio failed to respect the advertising restrictions and are now facing hefty fines. BetMGM, DraftKings, and Ceasers are online sportsbooks that repeatedly broke their promise not to promote free bets when the customers are required to risk their own funds. In addition, the Ohio Casino Control Commission established that the same companies did not include a clear message about the dangers of problem gambling in their communications.
Therefore, the brands will have to pay a $150,000 fine for not respecting the guidelines stipulated by the Commission. To make things even worse, this comes after all the licensed bookies received a warning on the 30th of December, 2022, about following these specific rules.
Ohio’s Casino Control Commission executive director, Matt Schuler, said that the bookmakers got several memos about the rules regarding promotions and advertising. However, some of them continue to disregard the law leaving the commission with no choice but to seek penalties.
The Bookmakers’ Position
Caesars Sportsbook
Of course, the companies targeted with fines had the chance to express their stance on the events. Caesars sportsbook, through their assistant general counsel Jeff Hendricks said they are sorry that the issue was identified since they were eager to cooperate with the commission to settle things.
In their case, the rules were broken by an affiliate campaign on Twitter that had a Free Bonus Offer of $100 as a promotional free bet. However, the punter had to make a $20 deposit to be able to enjoy the so-called “free bet”.
DraftKings Sportsbook promised a Free Bonus
Even though the operator highlighted that they are committed to respecting the highest standards of responsible gambling and player protection, DraftKings refused to comment on the fine they’re targeted with.
In this case, the penalty amount could be even higher since the online bookmaker is accused of sending around 2,500 ads to potential customers under 21, who are not allowed to place bets. For this breach of regulations, the operator could receive a $350,000 fine as the investigations are underway.
BetMGM Sportsbook
Finally, BetMGM was also notified about their wrong steps regarding sports betting advertising compliance. The company refused to comment on the events while reassuring its customers that responsible gambling is of utmost importance for the brand.
Even so, the State of Ohio made it very clear that the companies that massively advertise betting on sports need to be aware that their actions are being closely watched.
Other Sanctions Handed by OCCC
This string of fines applied by the Ohio Casino Control Commission is not the first of its kind. Earlier in December, Barstool Sportsbook also received a notice of violation regarding an event that took place on the Toledo University campus. The regulations clearly state that advertising near or on college campuses is forbidden, and Barstool could receive a $250,000 fine for failing to comply.
Overall, the total sum of the proposed sanctions exceeds $1 million, and the commission shows no signs of slowing down. The regulators want to send a clear message to all licensed online bookmakers – follow the rules or pay the price.
Final Thoughts
It is clear that the Ohio Casino Control Commission is determined to follow the law to the letter and not let operators get away with even minor mistakes. This approach is fantastic for player protection and avoiding serious gambling disorders. However, it may cause some bookmakers to reduce their activities in the state, resulting in less income received through online betting taxation.
One thing is sure though, the online gambling industry in the United States continues its spectacular growth. From a market size of $9,5 billion in 2021, the estimates for 2023 are more than optimistic, despite regulators’ strictness.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange dropped for the third consecutive session on Wednesday, March 18, by 0.39 per cent due to continued sell-offs.
In what would be the final trading session of the week due to public holidays on Thursday and Friday for Eid-el-Fitr, the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) further dipped by 16.14 points to 4,114.75 points from 4,130.89 points, and the market capitalisation lost N9.66 billion to close at N2.461 trillion versus the previous day’s N2.471 trillion.
FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc depreciated by N10.32 to sell at N112.00 per share versus N122.32 per share, NASD Plc dropped N4.50 to finish at N41.50 per unit compared with the previous session’s N46.00 per unit, and Geo-Fluids decreased by 9 Kobo to N3.02 per share from N3.11 per share.
On the flip side, Air Liquide Plc improved by N2.23 to N24.57 per unit from N22.34 per unit, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc advanced by 90 Kobo to N76.33 per share from N75.43 per share, Food Concepts Plc rose by 24 Kobo to N3.30 per unit from N3.06 per unit, UBN Property Plc surged by 20 Kobo to N2.18 per share from N1.98 per share, Impresit Bakalori Plc jumped 16 Kobo to N1.83 per unit from N1.67 per unit, and First Trust Mortgage Bank Plc added 14 Kobo to trade at N1.89 per share versus N1.75 per share.
During the trading day, the volume of securities went up by 43,404.4 per cent to 400.8 million units from 921,265 units, the value of securities grew by 2,108.7 per cent to N1.2 billion from N54.7 million, and the number of deals soared by 23.7 per cent to 47 deals from 38 deals.
CSCS Plc ended the day as the most traded stock by value (year-to-date) with 38.7 million units valued at N2.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units exchanged for N1.2 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 6.4 million units traded for N1.2 billion.
Resourcery Plc finished the session as the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) with 1.1 billion units worth N415.7 million, trailed by Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units sold for N1.2 billion, and Geo-Fluids Plc with 131.1 million units valued at N505.6 million.
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) experienced a pullback of 0.69 per cent as a result of profit-taking by investors, with shares in the banking and energy sectors mostly affected.
Data harvested by Business Post showed that the energy index was down by 4.58 per cent during the session, and the banking space lost 2.14 per cent.
They brought down the All-Share Index (ASI) by 1,402.56 points to 201,156.85 points from 202,559.41 points and shrank the market capitalisation by N900 billion to N129.126 trillion from N130.026 trillion.
Customs Street ended in red at midweek despite three of the five key sectors finishing in green. The consumer goods counter expanded by 1.19 per cent, the industrial goods index improved by 0.46 per cent, and the insurance sector grew by 0.43 per cent.
Red Star Express declined by 9.98 per cent to N25.70, Aradel Holdings went down by 9.68 per cent to N1,210.30, Presco lost 9.30 per cent to trade at N1,701.10, Living Trust Mortgage Bank crashed by 8.40 per cent to N4.80, and DAAR Communications dropped 7.50 per cent to end at N1.85.
On the flip side, Secure Electronic Technology gained 10.00 per cent to settle at N1.32, Guinness Nigeria rose by 9.92 per cent to N423.20, John Holt increased by 9.72 per cent to N11.85, Sovereign Trust Insurance surged by 9.57 per cent to N2.06, and Linkage Assurance chalked up 9.33 per cent to trade at N1.64.
Investor sentiment was weak yesterday after the bourse registered 33 price gainers and 38 price losers, indicating a negative market breadth index.
Market participants bought and sold 6.1 billion stocks valued at N130.1 billion in 58,562 deals compared with the 1.8 billion stocks worth N88.1 billion traded in 62,654 deals on Tuesday, representing a shortfall in the number of deals by 6.53 per cent, and a spike in the trading volume and value by 238.89 per cent and 47.67 per cent apiece.
The most active equity on Wednesday was eTranzact with 5.2 billion units sold for N24.3 billion, Wema Bank exchanged 111.4 million units worth N3.1 billion, Coronation Insurance transacted 96.4 million units valued at N303.9 million, Dangote Cement traded 75.2 million units for N56.5 billion, and Access Holdings exchanged 61.5 million units valued at N1.6 billion.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira stumbled against the Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Wednesday, March 18, by N8.96 or 0.67 per cent to trade at N1,353.00/$1, in contrast to the previous day’s rate of N1,344.04/$1.
Also, the local currency weakened against the Pound Sterling in the spot market at midweek by N6.06 to sell for N1,801.93/£1 compared with Tuesday’s value of N1,795.87/£1, and lost N4.75 against the Euro to quote at N1,556.22/€1 versus the preceding day’s N1,551.46/€1.
However, the Nigerian currency gained N2 against the greenback yesterday at the GTBank forex desk to close at N1,363/$1 versus the N1,365/$1 it was exchanged for a day earlier, and traded flat in the parallel market at N1,395/$1.
Nigeria’s external reserves fell by $178 million over three consecutive international payments recorded by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), settling at $49.83 billion from $50.008 billion, indicating that there have been some interventions in the FX market for stability and liquidity.
While the wider outlook for the Naira is positive, potential disruptions to global oil supply have increased volatility in energy markets and could spike inflation with higher oil prices.
In the cryptocurrency market, Bitcoin (BTC) slipped below $71,000 on Wednesday as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell flagged rising oil prices amid the war in Iran as a new inflation risk. It sold at $70,538.58.
The US central bank held interest rates steady as expected, but during his post-meeting press conference, Mr Powell acknowledged that the recent surge in energy prices is already feeding into the central bank’s outlook.
He said rising oil prices “for sure showed up” in policymakers’ higher inflation outlook for this year, lifting their forecast to 2.7 per cent from 2.4 per cent.
Further, Ethereum (ETH) lost 6.3 per cent to trade at $2,178.56, Cardano (ADA) fell by 6.1 per cent to $0.2714, Dogecoin (DOGE) dropped 5.7 per cent to close at $0.0096, Solana (SOL) dipped 4.8 per cent to $89.83, Ripple (XRP) slumped by 3.8 per cent to $1.46, and Binance Coin (BNB) declined by 3.7 per cent to $648.61.
However, TRON (TRX) appreciated by 0.4 per cent to $0.3037, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 each.
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